Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced they have expanded their Action Trackchair program to five state parks. The chairs are designed for off-road use and are available to the public.
“It was a lot of fun going on the trails, and I felt very independent,” Dawn Worthley, a 60-year-old mother of two with cerebral palsy, said. “I was never able to see the trails before. I went in October, and it was very pretty with the different colors and I could hear the crunching of the leaves.”
Worthley has become an advocate to encourage others to use the chairs, using them to attend concert series at White Clay Creek, showing them off to other concertgoers and encourage local caregivers to take advantage of them.
“A lot of the people I talked to said it was very cool,” Worthley said.
Each wheelchair costs about $20,000 and the program was initially funded by Bronco Wild Fund Access Grants and the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). DNREC provided support this year to purchase four more chairs making them available at White Clay Creek, Cape Henlopen, Lums Pond, Killens Pond and Trap Pond State Parks.
“One of the realities is that not everybody is able to enjoy our parks the same as everybody else,” DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson said. “One of the opportunities Delaware State Parks took last year was to get a Trackchair to allow people with accessibility challenges to get out on our trails, to get out in our fields and to get out to concerts. Now, in the summer of 2025, we will have Trackchairs at four more of our parks and may be able to expand it after that.”
The expanded program is part of an overall commitment at Delaware State Parks to increase accessibility, with projects planned to add or improve more than 70 accessible amenities in the Division of Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan. Recent additions include mobility mats at beach crossings, interpretive signs with braille and tactile components, sensory programming at the Brandywine Zoo, expanded translated signage and the upcoming cabins at Lums Pond that are wheelchair accessible.
“The White Clay Creek staff have become connected to how lucky we are to just take a walk and how meaningful it is for our visitors,” Laura Lee, Park Superintendent, said. “Everyone is on board to get more people involved.”
One state park visitor stated it was the first time she could hike with her grandchildren. Every week, visitors from the Mary Campbell Center for adults with disabilities visit the park to try out he new opportunity. This year, participants will be able to use it on the Opossum Hill Trail, with the hope of additional hiking opportunities being offered in the near future.
The Trackchairs can be reserved at no cost in three-hour intervals at each park. Users must watch a short instructional video, and the chair provides companion controls so that a parent or assistant can operate the device. To reserve the chair, contact the Delaware State Park you plan to visit. For Cape Henlopen, call 302-644-4005; Killens Pond, call 302-284-4526; Lums Pond, call 302-368-6989; Trap Pond, call 302-875-5153; and for White Clay Creek, call 302-368-6900.
